


merry christmas (i wrapped it up and sent it)

by flashlightinacave



Category: Never Have I Ever (TV)
Genre: Banter, Bickering, Christmas, Christmas Party, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Holidays, Mistletoe, Stupid Scheming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28298583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flashlightinacave/pseuds/flashlightinacave
Summary: “So, what exactly does a Christmas party have to do with forcing Devi and Ben to sort out their feelings?”“Fab, my dear,” Eleanor says, shaking her head and clicking her tongue.Honestly, does she need to explain everything to Fab? Then again, not everyone is as well versed in romantic tropes as she is. She considers herself something of an expert, to be honest, and she's going to use the whole of her knowledge to make sure her plan bears fruit.Fabiola raises an eyebrow.“Mistletoe,” Eleanor says, putting emphasis on the last syllable.“Dear god,” Fabiola groans. “What have I gotten myself into?”“A Christmas party,” Eleanor says rubbing her hands together gleefully, “gives us the perfect excuse to hang mistletoe everywhere, then at some point during the night Ben and Devi will have to end up under it, and boom!”Or; tired of Devi and Ben dancing around each other, Eleanor enlists Fabiola with a plan to get her friends together. It goes haywire—more than onceTitle from "Last Christmas" by Wham
Relationships: Ben Gross/Devi Vishwakumar, Fabiola Torres & Devi Vishwakumar & Eleanor Wong
Comments: 18
Kudos: 56





	merry christmas (i wrapped it up and sent it)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> It's been... a while since I've written a fic, school has been busy as hell, and I was basically drowning in midterms and assignments before I was thrust into final exam season, but I wrote my last exam on the 22nd, which means I am officially on a true break! Which means, I finally have time to write, just in time for the holidays!
> 
> A couple of things:
> 
>   * Given I haven't written a fic in a while, this certainly isn't my best work, but I had fun with it, so that's what I've decided matters
>   * This fic features two... really bad... organic chemistry puns, as much of it was written/drafted while I was studying for/panicking about that final exam. I'm not even a little bit sorry. (And I got an A- in orgo, which I'm pleased with, so it belongs in this author's note!) Do not be mistaken, I do not like orgo, it hurts me, I'm still trying to regain my soul from my prof Paul Harrison
>   * This might be tagged Devi/Ben, but tbh this fic is about Eleanor Wong, and Eleanor's relationships with Fabiola, Devi, and Ben. But there's enough romantic fluff for the tag to be correctly assigned.
>   * Speaking of Eleanor Wong, writing from her POV was an absolute blast, I had a ton of fun with it 
>   * Again, I totally leaned away from the metaphors here, cause dialogue comes from me much more naturally, especially as I try to ease myself back into writing
> 

> 
> And finally, Happy Holidays to everyone! I know this year has been sucky, but I wish all of you the very best for the Holiday season! I really hope you guys enjoy this fic!

Eleanor marches into the cafeteria like a woman on a warpath. 

She impatiently jiggles her foot up and down, craning her neck over all the ridiculously tall people at her school, until she spots a tell-tale cloud of curls. Then, with a smug smile, she sets off to speak to Fab, darting across the room.

She doesn’t spare a word of explanation. “You’re throwing a Christmas party,” she announces, sliding into her seat at the table across from her best friend.

Fabiola scrunches her face the same way she does immediately after she’s presented with a tough problem in math or science, it’s an expression of confusion. That confusion shifts into suspicion as she narrows her eyes. “Why?”

Eleanor simply smirks and raises an eyebrow, Fab knows her well enough to catch on. It's analogous to the way it takes her genius friend barely a second to figure out how to solve any challenging question. She can solve this on her own too.

“Oh,” Fabiola realizes. “You’re scheming, aren’t you?”

Eleanor vigorously nods her head. “I knew you’d catch on.”

“Can I ask what exactly you’re scheming about?”

Eleanor clears her throat. “It’s about Devi.”

Fabiola’s confusion returns. “Wait, what about Devi?” She glances frantically around the cafeteria. Her voice drops to a whisper. “And shouldn’t we refrain from scheming _about_ her when she might walk in here at any moment.”

Eleanor waves her hand in dismissal. “Oh, we don’t have to worry about that, Devi won’t be joining us for lunch today.”  
  
“She won’t?” Fabiola asks, frowning.

“Yeah,” Eleanor answers, pulling her lunch from her bag. “She said she was busy today at lunch competing with Ben to see which of them could sign up for more community service hours.” 

“Ah, right,” Fabiola says, nodding. “She did mention that.”

“And that,” Eleanor adds. “Is the problem we’re going to solve.”

“Devi and Ben?”

Eleanor grimaces. “They’re both being ridiculous, and I’m absolutely sick of it.”

Fab takes a bite of her lunch. “I mean, Devi and Ben are _often_ quite ridiculous. This isn’t anything new, El.”

“I’ve been waiting for my resolution for ten seasons—” She cuts herself off with a cough. “I mean years, and those two idiots still aren’t giving it to me.”

Fabiola blinks rapidly. “Resolution?”

Eleanor holds up her hand. “Look, ever since Devi broke up with Paxton, or for longer, if we’re being honest, she and Ben have been dancing around one another.” She pauses, searching for the appropriate reference. “They’re too _When Harry Met Sally_ and they need to be more _Sleepless in Seattle_.”

Fabiola quirks an eyebrow. “You want Ben to get a houseboat and a dead wife?”

“ _No_ , Fab,” Eleanor immediately clarifies, “I’m talking, instantly into each other.”

“I don’t quite see your point, El, they _are_ into each other. Even I can tell.”

“Well, they’re taking too long with the script.”

“The script?” Fabiola repeats. “This isn’t a movie, this is real life.”  
  
“Well, duh,” Eleanor says. “If this _was_ a movie, they’d have figured out their shit already.”

Fab takes another bite of her food. “It’s because you don’t have any arbitrary deadlines. Stupid movies like that _always_ have arbitrary deadlines.”

Eleanor smirks. “I have something better.” She unzips her backpack and pulls out her notebook, placing it down on the table. She flips to the page detailing the bare bones of her plan. “Every rom-com needs a best friend to push things along. A star to steal the show.” She winks. “That’s me, of course.”

“And what am I? Chopped liver?” Fabiola scoffs.

“Nope!” Eleanor chirps, she pulls out a pencil and points to a spot on the page where she’s written the specifics of Fabiola’s responsibilities. “You’re my amazing, show-stopping sidekick.”  
  
“I am no one’s sidekick,” Fabiola corrects. “But I’ll accept the title just this once, because I too am sick of their idiocy.”

Eleanor claps her hands together. “I knew I could count on you!”

“So, what exactly does a Christmas party have to do with forcing Devi and Ben to sort out their feelings?”

“Fab, my dear,” Eleanor says, shaking her head and clicking her tongue. 

Honestly, does she need to explain _everything_ to Fab? Then again, not everyone is as well versed in romantic tropes as she is. She considers herself something of an expert, to be honest, and she's going to use the whole of her knowledge to make sure her plan bears fruit.

Fabiola raises an eyebrow.

“Mistletoe,” Eleanor says, putting emphasis on the last syllable. 

“Dear God,” Fabiola groans. “What have I gotten myself into?”

“A Christmas party,” Eleanor says rubbing her hands together gleefully, “gives us the perfect excuse to hang mistletoe everywhere, then at some point during the night Ben and Devi will have to end up under it, and boom!”

Fabiola suddenly looks slightly ill. She puts down her lunch. “Ugh, I can’t believe your entire scheme is reliant on forcing our friends to kiss.”

Eleanor sighs. “Desperate times call for desperate measures, Fab.” She winces. “And believe me, these are desperate times.”

—— 

_“Are you sure you can’t come?” Devi asks._

_Ben shakes his head. “You know I have personal training on Wednesdays, David.”_

_Fabiola snorts. “Maybe without you and Ben bickering, I’ll actually be able to hear the film’s dialogue.”_

_Devi rolls her eyes at her friend then turns back to Ben. “You’re absolutely sure? It won’t be nearly as fun without you.”_

_Eleanor coughs. “Yes, it will.”_

_Devi turns to shoot her a quick glare._

_Ben nods his head. “Look, I’ll come with you guys next time,” he promises. He tosses Devi a quick smile. “I’ll see the three of you later.” He turns to walk away. “Enjoy the movie, El, Fab,” he smirks, “David.”_

_It’s on the walk towards the theatre that Eleanor notices Devi still seems glum, which is ridiculous, she and Fab are an absolute delight to hang out with. But feelings are feelings, and Eleanor knows her friend is one of the least subtle people on the planet._

_“You really miss him,” she notes._ _  
__  
__Of course, being the amazing friend she is, Eleanor isn’t even slightly surprised when Devi immediately gets defensive. “No!” she protests. “I—I don’t miss him! What are you talking about? I was just—just wondering how much longer I had to go seeing his stupid face!”_

_Eleanor laughs. “You,” she says, pointing a finger at her, “are in deep, deep denial.”_

——

“Look,” Eleanor says, primly lacing her hands together. “I just want them to be happy… or happier than they are now, and the quickest way to do that is to get them together.” She rolls her eyes. “Especially since they are incapable of doing it themselves.”

“You make a good point,” Fabiola agrees. “So where do I come in?”

“Convince your mom to host a Christmas party, so I can adorn your house in mistletoe.”

Fabiola arches an eyebrow. “And where are you going to get so much mistletoe?”

Eleanor studies her notebook, finding the detailed section she wrote up on mistletoe and circling it several times for good measure. She looks back up at Fabiola with a wide grin. “You can leave that to me.”

* * *

“So where are we going to hang all this?”

Eleanor turns her head at the sound and Fabiola’s voice and nearly slips off the chair she’s standing on as she hangs a sprig of mistletoe.

“Everywhere, of course!” she says, regaining her footing. “We need to place mistletoe at optimal vantage points in order to guarantee our mission is a success.”

Fabiola rolls her eyes, hanging a sprig of mistletoe over the front doorway. “This isn’t a spy movie, El.”

Eleanor leaps off the chair and makes her way back towards Fabiola. “It might as well be!” She rummages through her backpack and pulls out a sheet of paper and passes it to Fabiola. “Here, I plotted all the best locations a few days back.”

Fab simply stares at her with wide eyes.

Okay, perhaps it’s a little much that Eleanor has a map of her best friend’s house, but it’s all in the interest of her plan. She’s learned from Devi to be hyper-prepared for any possibility anyways, so really, this is all Devi’s fault. 

“Eleanor, where did you get this?” Fabiola finally asks.

“Please,” Eleanor scoffs. “You can find maps of everything at city hall.”

“You sat through _bureaucracy_ for this?” Fabiola asks, mouth falling agape. “How invested are you?”

Eleanor balls her hands into fists. “It’s the DENIAL, Fab.” She grabs another sprig of mistletoe from the big box she brought. “The absolute idiotic denial, it’s making me lose my mind.”  
  
Fab quirks an eyebrow. “...I can see that.”

Eleanor gestures towards the box as she climbs on another chair. “Help me hang some of those, would you?”

Fabiola frowns at the box. “You know by doing this, random people are going to be kissing all night, right?

Eleanor waves her hand. “Collateral damage,” she says dismissively. "Or maybe we'll have more than just one couple to come out of this, and then you'll _have_ to admire that I'm an amazing matchmaker.”

Fabiola rolls her eyes. “You’re going to owe me so hard.” She grabs a sprig and walks over towards her kitchen so she can hang it in the doorway. “When did Devi say she was going to be here again?”

Eleanor hums _Last Christmas_ as she hangs the mistletoe off the ceiling. “I think she said she’d be here around seven, but she’s coming with her mom and Kamala, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she shows up later.” She snorts. “Watch her text our group chat at six fifty-five and tell us she won’t be here till seven-thirty.”

“Classic Devi,” Fabiola laughs. “How about Ben?”

Eleanor leaps down from the chair. “He also said he’d show up at seven, a time he’ll probably stick to, knowing him. Benjamin can be painfully literal.”

“I don’t see how showing exactly when you intend to is painfully literal, El.”

“Oh, Fab,” Eleanor sighs. “Haven’t you heard of being fashionably late? Sadly, Benjamin isn’t cool enough to consider that.”

Fabiola tilts her head. “I’ve never quite understood that concept, if I’m being honest.”

“It’s about—” Eleanor says, before cutting herself off. She knows better than to waste her valuable time with an unimportant explanation. “You know what nevermind. Speaking of Devi’s mom, you’re going to have to distract her.”

“What?” Fabiola gapes. “Why me?”

“Please, Fab, her mom absolutely loves you.”

“I’m pretty sure she loves you too, El.”

“Nope,” Eleanor retorts. “She definitely loves you more. You temper Devi’s chaoticness, I magnify it.”

“I can be chaotic,” Fabiola protests.

Eleanor shrugs. “You’re like a solid seven—”

Fabiola raises an eyebrow. “Seven seems pretty high, El.”

“—out of a hundred.”  
  
Fabiola’s mouth drops open in mock offense. 

“And your chaos level only just increased because you agreed to my plan,” Eleanor adds. “But don’t worry, I love you and your lack of chaos.”

Fabiola playfully rolls her eyes. “I feel so appreciated.”

“As you should!” Eleanor chirps, earning her a light kick from Fabiola and a laugh.

“Eleanor, Fabiola, why are the two of you hanging so much mistletoe?”

Eleanor turns her head in the direction of the voice she recognizes as Fabiola’s mom. 

She frantically glances at Fabiola. _“You didn’t tell your mom?”_ she silently mouths.

Fabiola shakes her head.

“Uh…” Eleanor stammers. She snaps her fingers as the excuse comes to her. “It was Fabiola’s idea! She wanted as much mistletoe around as possible. People in relationships, you know, they just really want to see others happy.” She laughs, nervously.

She turns her head to notice her best friend is shooting her an icy glare.

It’s a bit oxymoronic that Eleanor, an incredibly talented actress, if she may say so herself, is one of the most horrific liars on the planet, but well… 

Fabiola’s mother frowns and narrows her eyes, and Eleanor knows she doesn’t believe them at all, she’s just hoping she chooses not to call them out on it. After all, it is the season of miracles.

“Alright then,” Fab’s mom says, still frowning. She kisses Fabiola’s forehead. “Just call me if either of you two need anything.” She turns and leaves the room, leaving Fabiola and Eleanor once again alone in the living room.

Eleanor lets out a sigh of relief. “That was a pretty close call.”

Fabiola smacks Eleanor on the head. “First the Christmas party and now this? Are you trying to get my mom pissed at me?”

“Like I said,” Eleanor hums. “Collateral damage.”

Fabiola swats her again. “I literally hate you.”

Eleanor crosses her arms and smirks. “If you hate me, why exactly did you agree to help?”

“Cause being best friends with you and Devi is making me go senile prematurely,” Fabiola snorts.

Eleanor lightly shoves Fabiola, earning her a laugh, then steps back to admire her handiwork. This better fucking work, she’s going to make sure of it.

* * *

Not to anyone’s surprise, Eleanor's plan starts out perfectly.

Most of the guests show up at seven—Ben included, though Devi doesn't make her appearance until seven-thirty—the house is covered in a tasteful amount of decorations, and an abundance of food and beverages are laid out for all the guests.

Devi even ends up under one of the many sprigs of mistletoe.

Eleanor’s fetching herself a cup of eggnog when she turns to notice Devi standing under the mistletoe. She spots Ben not so far away, chatting with one of Fabiola’s cousins and rubs her hands together gleefully. It seems Devi hasn’t even noticed what’s above her head yet, she’s simply tucked herself away in a secluded corner of the party as she scrolls through her phone.

It’s simply a matter of waiting, Eleanor thinks, until Ben walks back up to Devi—drawn to her the way a moth is to a flame, the way two magnets of opposite poles are to one another—to bicker about something petty and insignificant. And once they notice what’s dangling above their heads, well, it’ll all be inevitable. 

She just has to be patient. Admittedly, it’s never been one of her strengths, but she can do it if it means these two end up together. 

Except, Eleanor’s plan only _starts out_ perfectly. It certainly does not continue with success, in fact, what conspires can best be described as a colossal failure.

Things go terribly sideways when the first person who approaches Devi isn’t in fact Ben, but one of Fabiola’s cousins, also clearly oblivious to the plant dangling above Devi’s head. 

Eleanor won’t have her plan fail like this, she needs a distraction, a way to get Devi out from under the mistletoe.

It’s then that she remembers the cup of eggnog she’s clutching in her hand.

She steps closer to where Devi is standing, then once she’s close enough that she knows she can get Devi’s attention, she spills the drink on her shirt.

Eleanor’s never been a huge fan of eggnog, so losing the drink doesn’t matter, she's just a bit disappointed to ruin her outfit. However, she decides it’s a loss she’s willing to take (collateral damage, remember?), she’s committed to her plan. 

“Oh no!” she yells out dramatically, and just as expected, Devi’s head snaps up from her phone.

Eleanor runs up to Devi and grabs her arm. “I need you to help me get cleaned up,” she chirps.

“Oh,” Devi says, glancing her up and down, clearly noticing the disastrous state of her blouse. “I’m pretty sure you can get yourself cleaned up, El.”

“I need you to help me to get cleaned up,” she repeats, far more firmly, no room for debate in her tone.

Devi sighs, but she doesn’t try to object once more, she simply lets Eleanor drag her into the bathroom. 

Eleanor closes the door behind them and Devi’s already clutching a wet paper towel and dabbing at her blouse. “It’s a shame you spilled your eggnog on this shirt,” she says, tossing the paper towel in the garbage and fetching another.

“Yup,” Eleanor replies, careful not to reveal her plan, even just through inflection of her tone.

“Especially because you really like this outfit.” Devi wipes at her blouse again.

“It’s a damn shame,” Eleanor says, trying to infuse more of her dramatic self back into her tone.

Devi raises an eyebrow. “Eleanor.”

“Devi.”

Devi frowns. “Did you do this on purpose?”

Eleanor bites her lip. “Did I do what on purpose?”

Devi narrows her eyes in suspicion. “Did you spill eggnog on yourself on purpose, and make me help you clean it up so you could talk to me one on one?”

“Not exactly,” Eleanor answers, and well, it’s not really a lie.

“Not exactly?” Devi repeats.

Eleanor waves her hand. “I was just absolutely captivated by all the decorations, how perfectly everything is spaced and arranged.”  
  
Devi raises an eyebrow. “...Didn’t you put them up?”  
  
Eleanor smirks. “Indeed, but I even impressed myself.” She bats her eyelashes. “How about you, do you like the decorations?”

“They’re nice,” Devi says, tossing her head back and forth. “But why is there so much mistletoe?”  
  
Eleanor shoves Devi. “Get in the holiday spirit!”

“The holiday spirit of kissing random strangers?” Devi deadpans. 

“Random strangers or… someone special,” Eleanor says with a wink.

Devi frowns and narrows her eyes in suspicion. “Someone special like Fab’s cousin?”

“No!” Eleanor immediately yelps out. She knows Devi is likely messing with her, but she can’t help it, she’s worked too hard on her plan. “I mean… if you want to but…” She leans in to whisper in Devi’s ear. “But have it on good intel that they’re not a very good kisser.”

Devi snorts and lightly shoves Eleanor away. “What good intel?”

“I said I had intel, Devi! Don’t question it.”

“Yeah, alright then,” Devi scoffs. “Suuuuure you do.”

Eleanor places a hand on her hip. “Excuse me, when have I ever led you astray?”  
  
Devi rolls her eyes. “Like yesterday, El.”

Eleanor wacks her playfully. “Shut up.”

* * *

Half an hour later, things seem to be taking a turn for the better.

Eleanor mostly manages to clean up her blouse, and she’s positive it won’t stain, despite the mishap from earlier that night.

She’s also positive that her plan, now code-named Operation Mistletoe, is inching closer towards success.

She’s not just positive, she’s certain.

Because, at this very moment, Devi and Ben are both standing under one of the many mistletoes.

She’s sipping a fresh cup of eggnog, standing next to Fabiola, as she watches the two of them. 

She watches Devi glance above her head and laugh, before playfully swatting Ben and pointing it out to him as well. 

Eleanor turns grinning to Fabiola. “It’s finally happening.”

Fabiola rolls her eyes. “It’s only been an hour, El.”

“An hour?” Eleanor repeats. “Fab, I’ve been waiting for a resolution between those two for the past ten years!”

Fabiola snorts. “Nine and a half of which they spent at each other’s throats.”

“Oh, Fab,” Eleanor swoons. “Enemies always have secret romantic tension.”  
  
Fabiola simply scoffs, so Eleanor turns back to watch Devi and Ben. “It may be a bit cliche, but it’s still a classic. Enemies to lovers is the superior trope.”

“I’m so glad you’ve reduced our lives into fictional tropes, El.”

“Hush, I know you want them to stop being idiots too,” Eleanor says. “You did agree to my plan.”  
  
“A decision I regret more and more with each passing second.”

Eleanor shoves Fabiola. “You’re distracting me!” she pouts. “I’m going to miss the big moment.”  
  
“I’m sure we’ll see a lot of other _moments_ between them if things go according to your plan tonight.”

“Perfect, that’s exactly what I want!”  
  
“Is it?” Fab asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Duh.”

Fabiola fake gags. “Disgusting.”

“Adorable,” Eleanor refutes, grin no less wide.

Fabiola smirks and nudges her. “You’re becoming a bit obsessive.”

“I’m not obsessive!” Eleanor protests. 

“You haven’t shut up about this for three days,” Fabiola deadpans.

Eleanor laughs. “Well someone needs to appreciate the genius of my plan!” She points towards Devi and Ben who are chattering away with one another, no closer to kissing. “Because those two clearly can’t.”

“Eleanor Wong,” Fabiola deadpans. “Your genius plan consists of the most cliched kissing trope in the book.”  
  
Eleanor’s mouth drops open in mock outrage and she shoves Fabiola. “You take that back!” She clears her throat. “I’m original…. ish.”

“Well, you know what they say: genius and madness go hand in hand,” Fab snorts. “So what do you need? A lab coat? Safety goggles? Weird staticy hair?”

Eleanor tosses her hair over her shoulder. “I’m a fashionable genius, and this _will_ work out, just you wait.”

Fab pats her arm condescendingly. “Sure, El, sure.”

“A little more support would be appreciated, Fab!"

“I gave you my house! What more support could you possibly want?”

“Just more…” Eleanor erratically waves her hands. “Support.”

Fabiola gestures over to Devi and Ben. “You know, they’re still just talking.”  
  
“Communication is rare for them, but a good sign.” Eleanor sighs dreamily. “Perhaps they’re just talking before they make things official.”  
  
Fabiola rolls her eyes. “I very much doubt that.”

Eleanor continues to watch Devi and Ben as she sips her drink. They’ve stopped talking, and she notices that they’ve progressed to smiling at one another.

She’s too far away to see any specific details, but she can tell it’s shy and soft.

She's not in the habit of paying attention to Ben's emotions—until recently—but she's always been in tune with Devi's, and she's never seen her friend look at anyone else like that. Not even Paxton. Devi looks at Ben like he’s the sky streaked with the purple, orange, and pink hues of sunset. Something unchanging, and ever-present. but never any less beautiful. It’s as though no matter how many times she looks at him, no matter how long, there’s always something new and stunning, unique and wholly captivating to discover.

(And sure, she’s being a bit dramatic, but Eleanor’s a performer, an actress, dramatization and wax poeticism are in her very blood, in the marrow of her bones. Dramatic flair is who she is.)

It’s only because she’s watching attentively that she notices the exact moment that Ben rocks forward on his heels to lean in closer to Devi. She has to keep herself from squealing and clapping her hands together, but it’s difficult. This is one of the most romantic things she’s ever seen! And, it’s only happening because of her tactical planning.

Nevertheless, she doesn’t want to draw too much unnecessary attention to herself, so she holds all of her excitement in a radiant, face splitting grin.

And then, Devi’s mom calls her away and Eleanor’s entire plan shatters before her eyes. 

She watches Devi stumble back from Ben, and immediately rush in the direction of her mother. Eleanor curses under her breath. “Damn it!”

Fabiola snorts. “At this point, I think you want them to kiss more than they do.”

“And?” Eleanor challenges, placing her hand on her hip. “Your point is?”

Fabiola simply raises an eyebrow and smirks.

Eleanor scowls in response. 

The next time better work, because if it doesn't, she might scream and ruin any semblance of secrecy.

* * *

For her next attempt, Eleanor decides _direct_ is the best course of action. 

She realizes the flaw is that her previous two attempts have been dependent on Devi. They’ve depended on her friend ending up under the mistletoe at the right time, under the right circumstances, but this time, Eleanor decides to take _depend_ right out of the equation.

She’s not letting the success of her plan depend on anyone, especially not her clearly obvious friend. She can only count on herself, on her own actions. 

She _tried_ to be subtle, but she should have known Devi and Ben’s legendary obliviousness would never allow for subtlety. And if this plan has all of the subtlety of a battering ram—well, her hand was forced. You can’t blame her.

She throws all pretenses of subtlety out the window, once and for all, and marches right up to Devi. “Have you seen Ben anywhere?”

“No,” Devi says, snorting. “But good riddance, he keeps pestering me about Tuesday’s algebra test.”

“How annoying,” Eleanor mumbles sarcastically.

“You have no idea,” Devi agrees.

“You two looked like you were getting along earlier,” Eleanor says, wiggling her eyebrows.

Devi crosses her arms over her chest. “What are you insinuating, El?”

Eleanor smirks. “Nothing at all.” She twirls a strand of hair around her finger. “You just looked awful chummy with someone who you said had a face that would make Shrek look attractive by comparison.”

Devi rolls her eyes. “Eleanor, you literally went thrifting with Ben last week, you are not one to talk.”

“And thank goodness I did!” Eleanor says, clapping her hands together. “His fashion sense desperately needed my assistance.” She clicks her tongue. “Besides, I’m not the one who had a petty rivalry with Benjamin for the past ten years.”

“You disliked him just as much as I did.”

“I did not.” Eleanor objects. “Regardless,” she says holding up a hand. “I just wanted to know if he’d had any more luck under the mistletoe than we had.”

“I doubt it,” Devi scoffs.

“It would be nice,” Eleanor says, dreamily. She bats her eyelashes. “Don’t you think?”

“What would be nice?”  
  
“To kiss someone under the mistletoe of course! In the spirit of the holidays!”

Devi’s eyes light up and she begins to smile smugly. “Oh, that’s a great idea, Eleanor!” Eleanor feels Devi’s hand lock around her wrist. “Let’s find you someone to kiss!”  
  
“Oh—” Eleanor stammers. “That’s not at all what I mean—”

“I’m sure we can find the perfect person for you!”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Eleanor asks.

“Come on, El! You’re always saying you’ve got romance in your heart. Get some holiday spirit!”

“Well, I didn’t mean it literally,” Eleanor replies meekly, as Devi begins dragging her around the house. 

“We’re on the mission!” Devi tightens her grip on her arm and glances around the house. “Now, if we’re going to execute the perfect kiss, we need to find the perfect person and the perfect place.”

“This is not how this was supposed to go,” Eleanor curses under her breath. 

Eleanor stumbles after Devi as her friend drags her through the house—a woman hell-bent on a mission—and truth be told, El would be lying if she said she wasn't a little impressed. 

Eventually, Devi releases Eleanor’s arm and shoves her forward. She practically trips over her own feet before regaining her balance. She blinks several times only then finally realizing who she’s standing in front of.

Paxton.

He clears his throat. “Eleanor, right?”

Goddammit. This is not the place or time. She scowls. “What are you doing here, Hall-Yoshida?”

He bashfully rubs the back of his neck. “Fabiola’s mom invited my mom, cause she knew her in high school, so we decided to stop by.”

Eleanor glances above her head and notices the sprig of mistletoe. Holy crap! She’s such an amazing schemer that her scheme had ended up turning on herself. She wishes she could say she’s surprised, but honestly, considering how much mistletoe she’s plastered over this house, it’s nothing short of a miracle _she_ hasn’t ended up under it already. 

“What?” Paxton asks, his voice snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Sorry?”

“You were saying something about a scheme?” Paxton says.

Crap, she must have said her last thought out loud!

Eleanor risks a glance back at Devi, who’s now standing next to Fab, both of them wearing absolutely infuriating smirks. Devi’s arms are crossed over her chest and she looks positively _smug_. Her friends are the absolute _worst_. She _hates_ them.

Eleanor glares turns back to Paxton with a glare and flips her hair over her shoulder. “None of your business, and I’m certainly not kissing you, H-Y!”

Paxton raises an eyebrow. “Uh… why?”

“Y—you… you dated my best friend!”

Whether she might want to kiss him or not is completely irrelevant (and no, shut up brain, she does not want to kiss him!) it goes against girl code!

Paxton shrugs his shoulders. “Yeah, but we broke up and we’re cool.”

“I don’t want to kiss you,” Eleanor repeats, levelling him with a glare. It’s a mistake though, for she ends up staring straight into his kaleidoscopic, unfairly pretty eyes. He’s honestly too pretty for his own good and she hates him for it. 

He laughs, mouth curling into a smirk. “Are you telling me? Or yourself?”

She flushes, scowling at him. Even if she did want to kiss him, she can’t. (But it’s fine, she doesn’t, she doesn’t, she doesn’t.)

(She does.)

“I’m not kissing you!” she snaps. And with that, she turns on her heel and storms away, without even giving him time to respond. 

Paxton doesn’t deserve her glorious presence anyway, not even for a second.

(And if she ran because she was afraid she might have kissed him if she stuck around any longer…..that’s no one’s business but her own.)

* * *

It’s around 10:30 pm, and Eleanor is engrossed in a random argument with a stranger about whether _Die Hard_ qualifies as a Christmas movie—she’s firmly in camp no, while the stranger thinks yes—when Fabiola taps her shoulder to get her attention.

“You gotta see this,” her best friend says eagerly.

Eleanor doesn’t even offer another word in her argument, she simply follows Fabiola and it takes her only a few seconds to realize what her friend is so excited about.

Devi standing under yet another sprig of mistletoe with Ben.

Eleanor withholds a squeal and claps her hands together. “Finally!”

“You think they’re actually going to kiss this time?” Fab asks.

“Well, they _almost_ did last time,” Eleanor asserts. “I saw Ben lean in.”

Fabiola smirks. “You were paying close attention.”

Eleanor tosses her hair over her shoulder. “Just monitoring my plan.”

She knows she’s veering close to obsessive (in all honestly she’s gone three train stops past it, but whatever), but Eleanor has put too much effort into this plan for it to succeed without her knowing. She needs to pay close attention, she needs to witness the payoff she’s been waiting for. Because it has to work out this time, right?

“Oooooh, what are we watching?”

Eleanor spins around to spot a familiar face, Rebecca.

A few months back, when Paxton and Devi were dating, Fabiola and Eleanor had met Rebecca at a party thrown at Paxton’s house. Eleanor had decided she immediately liked Becca, and they’d hit it off talking about fashion. She’s convinced Rebecca Hall-Yoshida is one of the few people whose sense of style rivals hers.

“We’re waiting for Devi and Ben to sort out their shit, and thanks to me they’re pretty close,” Eleanor says, proudly.

Rebecca tilts her head. “Thanks to you?”

“See all the mistletoe?” Eleanor points to the sprig hanging above Ben and Devi’s heads. “My idea, I’m trying to get them to kiss and sort out their feelings once and for all.”

Rebecca shakes her head. “That won’t work.”

Eleanor feels her pride evaporate, replaced with dread. “What?”

Rebecca clicks her tongue. “Devi’s dense as a fruitcake, while she was dating Paxton, even I could tell that she wasn’t very into him before she could.”

“We could all tell she wasn’t that into Paxton,” Eleanor corrects. “Besides, she’s my best friend, I know she’s dense, that’s why my plan is complex.”

Fabiola rolls her eyes. “Again, El, your ‘complex plan,’” she says, using air quotes, “is reliant on one of the most cliched romance tropes in the book.”

Eleanor smacks her lightly. “Shut up.”

Rebecca purses her lips and folds her hands together. “Besides, they’ve already kissed, and it didn’t do anything, they just continued to dance around one another. Why would this time be any different?”

Internally, Eleanor thinks, fuck, but she covers it up with a wave of her hand and says, “I don’t know, the magic of Christmas or some shit like that.”

“Your effort is admirable,” Rebecca says. “But this plan won’t work.”

When Eleanor opens her mouth to object, to correct Rebecca, because her plan will work, goddamnit it, Becca holds up a hand to stop her. “I know Devi,” she says. “And I may not know Ben, but if he’s equal to her in stupidity, then this definitely won’t work.”

“Well, I know they’re stupid, but in good conscience, I couldn’t just sit here and doing nothing,” Eleanor asserts, putting special emphasis on the word’s final syllable.

Fabiola coughs. “Yes, you could.”

“Fab!” Eleanor shouts, smacking her. “You agreed to help me!”

Fabiola smirks, shrugging her shoulders and Eleanor turns back to Rebecca. “Look, I know my two friends, and I know romance, okay?”

“You’re sure you know romance?” Rebecca says, wiggling her eyebrows.

Eleanor crosses her arms over her chest. “Yes. Of course.”

Rebecca smirks. “Well then, what about you and my brother?”

“I don’t—” Eleanor stammers, feeling her cheeks burst with warmth. “Y—you don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Rebecca’s smirk only blooms wider. “Oblivion sure loves company.”

Fabiola clears her throat. “We’re here for Devi and Ben, guys.” 

“Speaking of Ben and Devi,” Becca says, “I suppose I was wrong, it looks like your plan actually might work, El.”

Eleanor quickly spins around, returning her attention to Ben and Devi, who have inched even closer in the past few minutes. “Yes!” she cheers, pumping her fist in the air. “I told you guys I was the master of romance.”

“Master of oblivion, more like,” Rebecca snorts, but Eleanor holds up a finger to shush her and focuses her attention on her two friends underneath the mistletoe. 

She watches Devi place her hand on Ben’s arm and watches him reach to take her free hand. Watches Devi’s expression change into that special soft smile that Eleanor knows she reserves for him. Eleanor withholds as squeal as Ben brushes back a strand of Devi’s hair, tucking it behind her ear, and she completely melts into his touch.

Then, fucking finally, she watches them both lean in.

It’s like waiting in bated breath for a firework to explode. Knowing soon that a thunderous roar will fill the air, that the sky will burst with colours and light, but not knowing when. Eleanor does not know when the moment that changes everything will come, only that it is soon.

And seconds later, everything does change, just not at all in the way she expects.

The entire party is startled, Ben and Devi included, who spring apart, by a violent, cacophonous bang.

Eleanor cranes her head towards the noise and spots a wreath lying on the floor, nettles fanning out in every direction. It’s a colossal mess.

“Fab!” she yells, turning to her best friend. “I thought we said to make sure everything sticks properly!”

Fabiola offers an apologetic look, but Eleanor has absolutely had it. She’s done with this.

She stomps her foot like a petulant child. “Universe,” she seethes, shaking her fist. “Are you fucking with me?”

Suddenly, no one at the party is looking at the fallen decoration anymore, they’re all watching her. 

It’s the culmination of all the anger and frustration and absolute aggravation that have boiled up inside of her. She’s done the best she can, left things to chance, tried to be more direct, she’s tried and she’s tried and she’s tried, and yet, somehow, nothing has worked out. And is she fucking _mad_ about it. She draws in a few deep breaths and tries not to clench her jaw too tightly, trying not to draw any more attention to herself than necessary, but Fabiola sees right through her. She places a comforting hand on Eleanor’s shoulder and says, “let’s go calm down."

Eleanor nods her head and lets Fabiola lead her off into a secluded corner. “I would ask if you’re okay,” Fabiola starts, “but I can tell you’re not.”

Eleanor whips her head around to face her best friend. “It’s infuriating! I can’t decide whether the universe wants them together or not.”

Fabiola shakes her head. “The universe doesn’t want anything, El. That’s not how things work.”

Eleanor lets out a long, weary sigh. “I wish science worked like that.”

Fabiola rubs her hand up and down El’s arm. “Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes no matter how much you plan and manipulate things won’t work out. Sometimes you have to let things happen on their own.”

Eleanor lets out a brittle laugh and turns her head towards the ground. “That should infuriate you as a scientist.”

Fabiola shrugs and smiles slightly. “It does.” She laughs. “It does a lot actually. But the randomness and unpredictability can be kind of beautiful too.”

Eleanor looks back up at Fabiola. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe, we just have to let them work out, let things proceed naturally, even if it’s a bit slow.”

Eleanor sighs. “I know, you’re probably right, I just want them to be happy.”

(And that’s really the whole point of this whole thing, isn’t it? She loves her friends—and ever since her mother left, her friends are basically her family. Now that she considers Ben one of her closest friends and she knows how he feels about Devi, knows how Devi feels about him, she just wants them to be happy. Even if she’s gone a little overboard with the whole thing, it’s not really about her. It’s about Ben and Devi being happy together, and she just wanted to make sure that happened.) 

“And they will be,” Fabiola affirms. “On their own terms and time.” She begins to smirk. “So, are you ever going to explain this whole situation Ben and Devi?”

Eleanor laughs, bright and fully this time. “Oh god, never.”

“That’s my girl.”

* * *

The moment Eleanor finally gets her wish is, rather underwhelming if she’s being honest.

It’s supposed to be earth-shattering, cataclysmic, life-altering. But it’s none of those things at all.

It doesn’t start out disappointing however, in fact, things do start out on the right path. She’s caught slightly off guard when Fabiola taps her shoulder, drawing her attention away from whatever insignificant thing she was studying. Eleanor turns back to where she hung one of the many sprigs of mistletoe under which she spots Ben and Devi standing. Together.

They’re both focused on each other, that’s the only reason Eleanor knows they can’t see her grinning like a fool.

She doesn’t want to get her hopes up, given the last two times this happened, she didn’t even get her much deserved resolution, but she can’t help it, so against her better judgement, she watches them.

She’s standing too far away to hear them, but she can tell they’re murmuring something to one another, and then Eleanor finally gets her wish.

That is, Ben and Devi finally kiss.

Except, it isn’t a _moment_ at all. It’s not romantic or passionate or arduous. It’s completely casual, natural, and unceremonious. Absolutely lacking in any fanfare or excitement. It’s just a delicate, quick kiss. Like something they’ve done countless times before.

She was expecting a kiss worthy of the final act, or a drama confession wrought from pain and tragedy after five scenes. she wasn't expecting…whatever the heck that was.

Naturally, Eleanor is beyond confused, more puzzled than she’s been in her entire life. “Wait a second.”

She stomps up to Ben and Devi.

“What the hell was that?”

Devi turns to her in confusion. “Sorry?”

Eleanor places her hand atop her heart. “Where was my cinematic love confession? My dramatic, amorous kiss?”

Devi only looks even more lost. “Your what now”

She jabs a finger at both Ben and Devi. “You two cheated me out of my moment!”

Devi raises an eyebrow and laughs. “Your moment?”

“Yes! My moment!” Eleanor says as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, because quite frankly it _is_ extremely obvious, sometimes Eleanor forgets how dense her friend is.

Then, what Devi says next catches her completely off guard.

She snorts. “El, I’m not sure how anything to do with my boyfriend is your moment.”

Eleanor’s often wondered if she'd ever get a classic freeze-frame moment in her life. And, well, here, right now, in this very moment, she's gotten it.

She just never expected it to be about _someone else._

Eleanor’s mouth drops agape and she blinks rapidly, trying to recollect her thoughts. “Your—your boyfriend!?”

She exchanges a startled glance with Fabiola, who has only just joined them. Eleanor knows the shock she’s feeling is mirrored on Fab’s face. Fabiola gestures between Devi and Ben.“I’m sorry, you two are together.”

Devi furrows her brow, studying her two friends. “Uh, yeah.” Then suddenly, she turns to Ben. “You didn’t tell them?”

Ben frowns at her. “I… thought you had already told them.”

Devi pokes Ben in the center of the chest. “No, we talked about this, _you_ were supposed to tell Eleanor about it after the movies.”  
  
“No,” Ben refutes. “ _You_ were supposed to tell them after you guys got coffee the other day.”

Devi rolls her eyes and places her hand on her hip. “Uh, I’m pretty sure I remember our conversation, Ben.” She jabs at his chest again. “You were definitely supposed to tell them.”

“Given you didn’t tell them,” Ben snaps. “I’m not sure you remember our conversation all that well.”

“I remember our conversation perfectly, and what I remember is you were supposed to tell them that we’re dating!”

Eleanor feels a little faint, and like she's watching a tennis match, eyes darting between Ben and Devi as they bicker. She turns to Fabiola, silently begging her to put her out of her misery.

Fabiola clears her throat, drawing Ben and Devi’s attention away from one another. “So uh, how did it happen?”

Ben furrows his brow “How did it… happen?” he repeats.

“How did you two get together?” Fab clarifies.

Devi shrugs. “Nothing too exciting.” She turns to Ben. “We were studying for a chemistry test together, you know, the killer one on reactions?”

Ben smirks and taps his temple. “I know alkynes of chemistry jokes.”

It’s such an idiotic, nerdy, uninspired pun, Eleanor can’t help but roll her eyes into the back of her head. Not that she expects much better from Ben, anyway. She notices that Devi, however, looks completely smitten.

Devi swats Ben’s arm. “And uh, he made that exact joke actually, and I don’t know, I just… I leaned over and kissed him, and then we realized we kinda needed to define what we were.”

With how stupid and dramatic Eleanor knows her two friends can be, she would be lying if she said she wasn’t expecting something a little more exciting than _that_.

“Ugh,” she groans. “Booooooring.”  
  
“Sorry?”

Eleanor claps her hands together. "You guys need a better getting together story! With more drama and passion and intensity.” 

Devi frowns. "Uhhhhh.....what?" 

“Yeah!” Eleanor chirps. “Take a little artistic license with your lives if you don't want to bore everyone telling them how you got together."

Devi wiggles her eyebrows. “It couldn’t bore anyone more than listening to Ben explain hydroboration-oxidation.”

Ben grins. “It practically hydro-bored her to death.”

Okay, these puns are getting ridiculous, even for Eleanor. Usually, she wouldn’t begrudge her friend’s happiness, especially after everything Devi has been through, she deserves to be happy more than anything, but _seriously_? _This_ is what does it for her?

“Somehow, you’re making it worse,” she says, wincing. 

Ben rolls his eyes. “So glad to know you find me boring, Eleanor."

Devi smirks and cocks her head. “She’s not the only one.”  
  
“I’m literally your boyfriend!”

Devi pats the top of Ben’s head. “For now.”

“Need I remind you that you kissed me?”

Devi opens her mouth to bite out a witty retort, before Fabiola stops her.

“Wait, Devi,” she says. “You really thought we all knew you were together?”

Devi frowns. “Uh, yeah.” She glares at Ben. “It’s not my fault _someone_ didn’t tell you guys.”

Ben crosses his arms over his chest. “They’re your best friends, aren’t they?”

Devi clasps her hands together, a gesture Eleanor recognizing from years of friendship as a sign that she’s nervous. She turns to Ben. “Look,” she says, untwisting her hands and reaching to take one of his. “I didn’t want to make things weird,” she pauses, carefully weighing her words, “by bringing it up so soon.” She then turns away from Ben, hand still held in his, to face El and Fab. “We’re like some kind of quad, aren’t we? Or like a quartet?”

“A group?” Fabiola offers.

“Ooh ooh! A squad!” Eleanor suggests, grinning excitedly.

“No way,” Ben says shaking his hand. “We are not calling ourselves a squad, that makes us sound like we’re in middle school.”

Eleanor purses her lips. “Too bad this isn’t your decision to make, Benjamin.”

“I think the squad sounds cute,” Fabiola answers, meekly. 

Devi smirks at him. “She’s got you there, Ben, it’s three to one.”

Ben scowls. “I thought dating you would give me more perks in our friend group.”

“Quite the opposite!” Devi chimes, grinning malevolently.

“Hmm,” Eleanor hums. “Devi, if you two got together the week before Christmas…” She taps her chin. “Does that mean Ben has to get you a Christmas and an anniversary present?”

“Yup!” Devi answers, eyes lighting up, at the exact same moment Ben splutters “What the fuck?”

Devi turns back to Ben and playfully shoves him. “Oh, don’t be cheap.”

“N—neither of us even celebrate Christmas!” He protests. “I’m _Jewish_!”

Devi’s eyes light up. “Oh, even better, you can get me eight days of presents for Hanukkah!” 

“Devi, _you’re_ not Jewish.”

“Ben,” Devi sighs. “Please stop trying to weasel your way out of getting me nine presents for the holiday season, I know you can afford it.” Devi uses her free hand to toss her hair over her shoulder and smirks. “You’re like, stupid rich.”

Ben scoffs and drops her hand. “Just because I’m rich, it doesn’t mean you can bleed me dry.”

Devi smirks. “I don’t know what to tell you, Gross, it’s reparations for all the things you white people took from us.”

Ben opens his mouth to say something then promptly shuts it. He’s silent for a moment before he finally says, “I don’t know how to argue against that without sounding racist.”

Devi’s smirk blooms even wider. “You should stop trying, best you learn now that I’m always right.”

“Oh my god!” Eleanor shrieks at Fabiola. “They started dating a week ago and they’re already married.”  
  
Fabiola rolls her eyes. “They’ve always been married, El.”

Devi whips her head around. “We are _not_ married,”

“The other day, you gave Ben a thirty-two minute lecture on why he couldn’t eat raisins because they personally offend you.” Eleanor deadpans.

Devi blinks rapidly.“Thirty-two?”

Eleanor cocks her head. ”Yup!” she chirps, pulling out her phone. “I timed it.”

“I like raisins.” Ben pouts.

Devi pats his cheek mockingly. “Not while you’re dating me you don’t.”

“See?” Fabiola cuts in, smirking. “Married.”

Ben turns back to Devi, a softer smile spreading over his face. It’s a little sickening, if Eleanor is being honest. He shrugs his shoulders. “They’ve kinda got us there.” He brushes a stray strand of hair out of her face.

Devi melts into his touch for a moment, before hardening her stance and turning back to Eleanor and Fabiola. “I guess I should have realized you didn’t know we were together with the ridiculous scheme you concocted,” she scoffs. 

Eleanor’s mouth falls agape and she blinks several times, losing her train of thought for the umpteenth time tonight. “You knew?”

Devi scoffs. “Please, El, you’re the least subtle person I know.” She places a hand on her hip. “In seventh grade, you brought a giant robe to school for pyjama day.”

“It was for the aesthetic!”

Ben smiles at Devi. “Yeah, we had you figured out the first time we ended up under the mistletoe together.”

“He had you figured out then,” Devi corrects. “I figured it out even earlier.” She smirks. “Which isn’t a surprise given how much smarter I am.”

Ben shakes his head. “Keep telling yourself that.” And then he leans in and kisses her before she can say anything else.

“Gross,” Eleanor and Fabiola say in unison, Eleanor wrinkling her nose to emphasize her point.

“You two wanted this!” Devi protests.

“Eleanor wanted this,” Fabiola corrects.

“You still helped!”

Devi laughs, clutching her chest. “You two are ridiculous.”

Eleanor smiles at her best friends, perhaps her plan had succeeded in the end, she’d never have to watch Ben and Devi dance around each other again, even if it wasn’t for the reason she believed. 

“I learned from the best.” She grins, bright, clear, and absolutely radiant. “I learned from you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you enjoyed this, they make me (a second year, stressed out, STEM student) very happy!


End file.
